Since I don't have a picture of it, I can only describe it to you. Perhaps you have seen one of these trees too. I don't remember what year it was but I think it was around 1979 or 1980. Our tree was not the shiny silver tree that we had used for so many years prior to that Christmas. This tree didn't come from a store and it wasn't an evergreen tree that we picked out and cut down. It started with a block of wood for the base and part of a wooden broom handle that stood about three feet high. The broom stick was painted silver and had many holes drilled in it so that various lengths of metal coat hangers could be cut and inserted as "branches". As if we thought that didn't look bad enough, Dad brought out the next step. Packing peanuts! Packing peanuts like those pictured below...
Without making too big of mess, we were to push these packing peanuts onto the wires that were inserted into the silver broom stick that what was cut and fastened to a block of wood so that it would stand up. Got it? Well, guess what? THERE'S MORE TO THIS STORY!
Again, as if that wasn't bad enough, the final pieces of the Christmas tree were the nastiest, ugliest, fuzziest, green, plastic balls to used as ornaments to hang on the cut pieces of metal coat hangers covered by packing peanuts sticking out of a painted broom stick with lots of holes drilled in it and mounted to a block of wood to stand up. There now you get the picture, right?
When I first saw it, I just laughed at it and thought "there is no way that is really our Christmas tree this year!" BUT IT WAS. Dad had put all of that together to show us that we were missing the whole point of Christmas because we were so focused on the tree and the presents. I hated that tree... THEN... BUT NOT NOW. Now I realize it really was the best Christmas tree ever put up.
IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT JESUS.
Luke 2:8 (ESV) And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
No comments:
Post a Comment